


may my heart guide me

by orro



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ancient Egypt, Blindshipping, M/M, Puzzleshipping
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-04
Updated: 2016-11-03
Packaged: 2018-08-28 22:59:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8466262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orro/pseuds/orro
Summary: Atem made a wish as he sealed the Dark One away, as he shattered the Pendant, as he died. Let someone come to solve this Puzzle. Let them stop Zorc Necrophades for good. Let them give this kingdom the balance and peace it so deserves. 
Yuugi made a wish as he ignored the Black Crown burning around him, as the smoke choked him, as he slid the last Puzzle piece into place. “Other Me, please don’t die again. Please don’t die. Don’t die.”
Upon its recompletion the Millennium Puzzle throws Yuugi three thousand years into the past to a world of pharaohs and shadow magic. But as a spirit only able to communicate directly with Atem, who thinks he’s a ghost that needs to be exorcised, Yuugi’s not exactly sure how he’s supposed to prevent his other self’s tragedy.
The age of magical duels and ka beasts is coming to a disastrous end. A familiar thief with the promise of war approaches and it’s up to Yuugi to protect not only his other self but his past, Atem’s future, and the present.





	

There was fire then there was the sweet black of passing out. Yuugi looked around but nothing seemed familiar; he was in a large room, lying on a massive bed with a strange piece of wood under his head. He got up slowly but something was off. 

 

Yuugi looked down at his skin and clothes. His hands were dark brown but they responded to him. He opened and closed them a few more times just to be sure. There was no injury to them though he could still remember how the metal pieces of the Puzzle had burned. 

 

And he seemed to be in a skirt. Yuugi filed that information away to deal with later. 

 

The rest of his clothes was equally strange though it was all soft; and he appeared to be in more metal than cloth. Yuugi got off the bed and stood up, bare feet on the dirt floor, but there seemed to be some sort of mirror on a dresser across the room. 

 

There were jars upon jars lying on the furniture and Yuugi glanced at them but didn’t touch any. Everything looked recently used and fresh. 

 

Yuugi stared into the copper mirror, his image distorted by the color but it was so brightly polished that he could see his reflection well enough. It was his face but it wasn’t. He stared, able to pick out more differences than similarities, but in the end he couldn’t deny it was his own face looking back at him. 

 

The golden crown on his head was secondary. Yuugi nearly took the weight off his head but then he decided to leave it. He didn’t know what was going on and it was probably better to leave everything as it was. 

 

“I have no clue what’s going on,” Yuugi muttered and turned away from the mirror. 

 

The other Bakura, the spirit of the Millennium Ring, had called his other self a king. Yuugi swallowed and took a shaky breath. He’d been busy with the duel against Otogi and hadn’t had a chance to think about Bakura’s words. But it was hard to know how much of what the other Bakura said was truth and lie.

 

Yuugi glanced at the mirror again and touched the crown. There was some truth to what the other Bakura had said for this was surely the body of a king. That didn’t mean though, that this was the former body of his other self. Yuugi looked around for the one piece of evidence that would confirm this as the Other Yuugi’s.

 

He sighed in relief to find the Puzzle lying on the bed and he grabbed it so he could embrace it; the Puzzle was whole and that meant his other self was safe. 

 

“I’m sorry I let them shatter you,” he whispered. The chain was missing but it had a cord to it and he slid it on, figuring he had to thank either Jounouchi or Anzu for adding one so quick. Whoever it was that had replaced it must have realized that Yuugi would want the Puzzle around his neck again as soon as possible. 

 

The moment the Puzzle was on him there was a burst of pressure and Yuugi gasped, unable to resist as he was forced out of his body. It wasn’t like before when he’d only known blackouts but it was much more purposeful. He was being pushed out. 

 

“-Out. Get out.” 

 

Yuugi blinked as he looked at his doppleganger. He was used to the feeling of watching his body move outside of him. And he was used to being around without being physically there. But he’d never been so forcibly ejected and it made him nearly spin. 

 

The person whose body he had been inside of was glaring at him and his mouth twisted into a silent snarl. 

 

“What are you?” the other Yuugi demanded. “A ghost? A spirit? A demon? Name yourself!” 

 

“I-I don’t think I’m a ghost,” Yuugi said. He looked at his translucent hands and swallowed. The last thing he could remember was the fire around him and his hands burning as he pieced together the puzzle. His intangible hands didn’t appear to be hurt though; he opened and closed them again just to be certain. “I’m pretty sure I’m still alive. At least, I hope so.” 

 

“Then leave my sight, spirit.”

 

Yuugi eyed the Millennium Puzzle. It must have sent him here through its magic but the why was still a mystery. Either way, if the Puzzle was involved, nothing would be simple. 

 

“It’s probably not that easy.” 

 

“If you won’t go then I’ll force you out,” the other Yuugi said, cupping the Puzzle in both hands. But whatever he was expecting to happen didn’t and he frowned at the Item. He shook the Puzzle a little then scowled. 

 

“Sorry,” Yuugi said. 

 

“Why won’t you disappear?” The other Yuugi was glaring at him and if Yuugi hadn’t been in some incorporeal form he would have tried to run away by now. 

 

“I don’t know. I was solving the Puzzle and I think I got all the pieces put together but there was a fire around me. So I might be dead but I’m not really sure because I would probably remember dying, I think. And I really hope Jounouchi didn’t die because he was there too but I don’t see him anywhere here.” 

 

The other Yuugi looked more confused by this. His anger didn’t leave or fade but he seemed slightly more collected and willing to talk. 

 

“Even your death wouldn’t explain an attachment to the Pendant,” the other Yuugi said. “You claim no ill against me or my kingdom, it seems.” 

 

“Definitely not,” Yuugi said. 

 

“Then we’re both of an accord that having you cease this haunting is both of our goal?” the other Yuugi asked. 

 

“Uh, yeah?”

 

“Excellent.” 

 

Yuugi wasn’t exactly sure about that response but it seemed a reasonable manner to go about having a ghost appear. But if this truly was his other self’s past life then there was no way that Yuugi wanted to leave just yet. 

 

This familiar stranger got up and presumably began dressing for the day. Yuugi watched as he slid on the pieces of gold and clothing; he said nothing when his other self opened the small jars and began painting himself with brushes. 

 

“Stop staring,” his other self ordered, wiping at the black line around eye. 

 

“Sorry,” Yuugi said, trying to turn around to look away. 

 

Part of Yuugi wanted to keep watching his other self move, for this person was at ease in his own body, and whenever his other self inhabited his body, his movements took a strange turn at times. He would become hyper aware that he was using Yuugi’s body to manipulate the world around him. Sometimes he would stop mid action as if in realization that he was using Yuugi’s body instead of his own.

 

But this other Yuugi didn’t recognize him at all and so Yuugi stopped watching. He waited until his other self stood up and made for the door. 

 

“Spirit. Have you truly no idea why you possess my Pendant?” his other self asked, pausing to meet his eyes.

 

“It’s a Puzzle,” Yuugi said, correcting him automatically. He realized his mistake a moment too late.

 

“The Millennium Pendant is not a puzzle,” the other Yuugi said, his eyes narrowing back into a glare. 

 

“Ah, right.” 

 

“Why would you call it that?” the other Yuugi asked. 

 

“It’s hard to explain,” Yuugi said and then almost kicked himself at the other Yuugi’s look. “I’m not trying to lie to you!”

 

“It hardly matters whether you speak truths or lies,” the other Yuugi said. “You’ll be banished soon enough.” 

 

And he strode out of the room, his steps as purposeful as his other self’s had been and every inch a king. Yuugi couldn’t help but follow, not quite pulled by the Puzzle, but there was nowhere else he would have reason to go. 

 

#

 

Atem forced himself to sit back in his chair and admire his private garden. Most days being here was a pleasant reminder of earlier times when he would come with his Mother, Father, and nurse. But today he needed privacy that wouldn’t arouse suspicion and inviting a friend to play a game with him in his garden was nothing out of the ordinary. The servants kept their distance, at the entrance in case Atem needed to call for their services but far away enough that even the sharpest of listeners wouldn’t be able to eavesdrop. 

 

It was impossible to admire the neat rows of trees and flowers with that damned ghost wandering about. Atem tried to project an air of nonchalance, reclining and not directly looking at the ghost, but the ghost ignored all of his attempts. 

 

“I wouldn’t have believed a garden like this existed here,” the ghost said, floating over the pool of water. He reached out to touch it but the water didn’t react to his presence. The ghost drew back with a pained look on his face and Atem averted his eyes before the ghost met his gaze. 

 

‘Quiet, spirit,’ Atem said though it was more for show. The ghost would inevitably quiet down for a while before another thought passed into its mind and he expressed it without hesitation. For some strange reason the ghost didn’t seem to fear him; if anything, he seemed relatively comfortable around Atem.

 

Atem laid his hand on the Pendant though even that action which normally comforted him irritated him right now. The ghost seemed to think that the Pendant was the source of this haunting though as far as Atem knew none of the other items possessed wayward spirits in them. 

 

And oddly the spirit always referred to it as a Puzzle instead of a Pendant. But no matter how many times Atem inspected it, casually so as not to arouse the spirit’s suspicion, it seemed solid. Which was a bit of a shame because Atem did so enjoy a good puzzle though not one that included a ghost. 

 

If he wasn’t dead set on having this ghost banished he would have interrogated it to get more answers. 

 

“I need you to exorcise a ghost,” Atem said the moment he saw Mahaad walk into the garden. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the ghost tense.

 

“A ghost, Your Majesty?” Mahaad asked, worry flooding his face. “No one has sensed any such malevolence-” 

 

“I’m not questioning your skills, Mahaad, but I’m most assuredly seeing a ghost right now.” Atem glared at the ghost who had the decency to look apologetic. To his credit he was a polite ghost but that didn’t excuse his persistent haunting. 

 

“What does the creature look like?” Mahaad asked. 

 

“He looks like me,” Atem said through gritted teeth. 

 

“Exactly like you?” Mahaad asked sharply. 

 

Before he could stop himself Atem looked at the ghost, and Mahaad followed his gaze although he saw nothing. Atem took a few moments to look at the ghost again; the ghost looked like him, it couldn’t be denied, but the differences were vast and he wondered again at how such a similarity could even be achieved. 

 

It was beyond the differing skin tone, but where the ghost was all soft lines and even kinder eyes, Atem was harsh and sharp. Whatever the ghost had been before this transformation, it didn’t seem like he had many worries, compared to Atem. The thought soured Atem in some way and he scowled, which made the ghost wince. 

 

“Not a mirror image, no,” Atem said.

 

“Perhaps an issue with your shadow then,” Mahaad said then proceeded to talk quickly about different spells and maladies. 

 

Atem tuned him out as he began to wax about a person’s shadow and the differing parts of the soul, well aware of how long Mahaad could go on for if the subject was magic, and continued to stare at the ghost. The ghost couldn’t bear his gaze for long and would always turn away, though in this case, the ghost knew Atem was still looking at him and it made him squirm. 

 

Atem could see the trees and bushes through the ghost. The boy didn’t even know if he was dead or alive by his own admission though Atem had no way of knowing how much the ghost lied. So far he hadn’t been able to find a shred of falsehood from him yet. 

 

“Pharaoh, I’d like to begin the process of exorcism as quickly as possible,” Mahaad said. 

 

Atem nodded and followed after Mahaad. 

 

“I don’t think it’s going to work,” the spirit said, nervous but with a quiet certainty in his voice. 

 

Atem said nothing. He raised a hand to run a fingernail against the Pendant. 

 

“You’ll be gone soon enough, phantom,” Atem said to him. 

 

For some reason that caused the spirit to give him a pained look. Atem ignored it; he didn’t speak his words blithely. He was pharaoh.

 

#

 

After the dozenth attempt at exorcising him Yuugi was less nervous this time around. He watched with interest as Mahaad put ingredients into a bowl and set them to burn. Mahaad was sitting on the floor in one of the private guest rooms and they had cleared it out of furniture in case something caught fire again. There wasn’t an explosion this time though his other self still looked at it askance. 

 

“This doesn’t need to be smeared on me, does it?” he asked. 

 

“Not this time, my Pharaoh,” Mahaad assured him though that didn’t do much to set his other self at ease. 

 

The fire blazed up high for a moment, dark and deep red, before settling down. Smoke extended from the bowl and began to spread out, contained around his other self. The other Yuugi shifted a little as he was engulfed but otherwise he didn’t seem frightened. 

 

“Someone will probably notice this,” his other self said, far too calm. 

 

“Stop that,” Mahaad said and he set his finger down on the open scroll before him. There were decorative stones holding it in place and he shifted one so he could begin reading.

 

Yuugi listened in awe; whatever Mahaad was saying, there was magic in the words, and Yuugi could see it in the air as sparks flew from nothing and the room grew scalding hot. His other self watched impassively, no doubt used to such displays. 

 

And though the magic seemed to touch him, Yuugi stayed in place, never wavering from this reality. He glanced at the Puzzle but it gave him no answers. 

 

Mahaad finished speaking, visibly drained, and his voice was ragged and harsh as he inquired hopefully about Yuugi’s presence. Yuugi looked at his other self, prepared for the inevitable disappointing answer. 

 

“Thank you, Mahaad,” his other self said as his gaze bored into Yuugi’s. “That seems to have banished the spirit.” 

 

“I’m glad. Still, I would like to ask your permission to set up more wards so we can prevent such an event from transpiring again,” Mahaad said after sighing in relief. 

 

“Probably just some stray ghost,” his other self said with a careless wave of his hand. “I doubt it’ll happen again.” 

 

“It shouldn’t have ever happened, My Pharaoh,” Mahaad said. 

 

“I certainly agree with that but no one was harmed this time around.” His other self paused. “But you make a good point so proceed with your task. Tell no one of this, of course.” 

 

“I would never,” Mahaad said. He bowed and took his leave. His steps were steady but they were heavy, and Yuugi almost wished it had worked; Mahaad had tried so hard. 

 

“Why did you lie to him?” Yuugi asked the moment Mahaad was gone. 

 

“Why wouldn’t I have lied to him? I’m pharaoh and I rule over a kingdom; if I am being haunted by a ghost it’s a matter that extends beyond me,” his other self said, clenching his fist. “If you’re so concerned then you ought to leave. Make my falsehood into truth; you have that power and all you would need to do is vanish.” 

 

Yuugi bit his lip. Causing his other self pain like this had never been his intent. Whatever the puzzle had intended clearly wasn’t working because no matter what Yuugi did, it was the wrong thing to do. 

 

“I can’t,” Yuugi said, looking away. 

 

Of course his other self’s reaction to being haunted and possessed would be irritation and not fear. The other Yuugi had always been stronger. Yuugi had broken down upon the realization that he shared a body with a spirit and it had only been his friends’ comfort that had been enough to make him stand up again. 

 

“If I could, I would,” Yuugi said. “But I don’t know how. I don’t even know how I got here.” 

 

His other self said nothing and cupped the Puzzle instead. Yuugi looked down at his feet then glanced back up at his other self. 

 

“I’m sorry that I’m causing all this trouble but I promise that I don’t want to hurt anyone,” Yuugi said. 

 

“So you say.” 

 

“I’m serious,” Yuugi cried out. “I-I just wanted to protect my friend. That’s why I solved the Puzzle. I don’t know why I’m here or anything else.” 

 

“Your friend?” The other Yuugi looked at him at that. 

 

“Yeah, one of my closests friends. I hope he’s okay because if it turns out that I died, then I think that means that I failed to save him,” Yuugi said, stumbling over his words as he tried to figure out a way to explain his other self to this other Yuugi without mentioning details. 

 

The other Yuugi was quiet for a few minutes as he left the guest room and returned to his room. They always waited until night when most everyone in the palace was asleep to try to exorcise Yuugi. He was in the middle of removing his jewelry when he stopped and turned to Yuugi. 

 

“What do you go by, phantom?” 

 

Yuugi blinked. 

 

“You mean my name?” His other self nodded and Yuugi blinked again. “Uh, just Yuugi is fine.” 

 

“Yuugi,” his other self repeated his name, rolling it around in his mouth a few more times. His pronunciation was surprisingly apt by the last utterance. “I’ve never heard anything like that before.” 

 

“It’s not really a common name, I guess,” Yuugi said. If they really were in Ancient Egypt then his entire language and country wouldn’t be around for centuries. Yuugi paused. “What’s your name?” 

 

“What?” His other self stared at him in surprise. “My name?” 

 

“Yeah?” 

 

“Where did you come from, ghost, that you don’t know the name of Pharaoh?” He asked, his tone still clipped but the surprise overrode it. “Even slaves in Nubia know the name of their king.” 

 

Yuugi blinked at him. 

 

“I-I don’t know where that is,” Yuugi said. 

 

“Of course you don’t,” he said with a sigh. 

 

Yuugi almost apologized but he clamped his lips together. Everything he said was wrong, because this wasn’t his other self, this was someone else entirely. And Yuugi knew this but he’d forget for a moment. 

 

“Address me as Pharaoh Atem,” Atem said reluctantly, “since it doesn’t appear that you’ll be departing from my side anytime soon.” 

 

“Atem,” Yuugi repeated, softly and carefully. The name echoed in his head because the nameless spirit now had a name and the sound of it ached. It took a great deal of effort to keep from tearing up. 

 

“Pharaoh,” Atem reminded him, frowning a little. 

 

“Pharaoh Atem,” Yuugi said. He rubbed at his eyes which were thankfully still dry. “I-Thank you for telling me your name.” 

 

Atem raised an eyebrow at him, and Yuugi took a careful breath to keep from actually crying. It was such a familiar look and yet at the same time so distant and distrustful.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are appreciated. Thank you for reading!


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